Lai Fu bent his waist even lower. "Hasn't the Heir always been this way?"
"Hmm?"
"The Heir has always thoroughly investigated matters before reporting them to you."
The Emperor was taken aback. It seemed... this was indeed true. Unless under special circumstances, Yan Xi would always verify things before reporting. Since he suspected Haoyue was connected to the remnants of the Chao Li Tribe, detaining her and keeping her under his watch was completely reasonable. Moreover, the matter of the Chao Li Tribe was also being investigated by Yan Xi. So it seemed he had been overthinking.
Putting down the book, the Emperor stood up, paced a few rounds, then stopped before Lai Fu and asked, "Why hasn't that lad come to apologize yet?"
Lai Fu dared not answer, merely lowering his head further.
The Emperor didn't really expect an answer either; aside from speaking with Lai Fu, he had no one else to talk to. He truly wanted to pressure Hua Zhi. The fact that she could bring a family that had fallen from grace to its current state showed she had some capability. If he provided her with convenience, a high starting point, and substantial capital, how much wealth could she bring him? If he allocated more from the national treasury, how could things not succeed? Wasn't the Wei River also repaired year by year?
He had thought Yan Xi would stand by his side as always, never expecting that over a woman, he would clash with him to this extent. Such a woman was simply unvirtuous—no matter what, she must never think of entering the Gu family!
Unaware that she had drawn more resentment, Hua Zhi was still pondering the matter of Haoyue. "You cannot avoid this matter."
Gu Yanxi nodded gently. "The Emperor is waiting for my move."
Hua Zhi knew she didn't understand the Emperor as well as Yan Xi did, so she refrained from offering reckless advice and simply asked, "What do you plan to do?"
"Enter the palace to plead guilty."
"But we still don't know what Haoyue has done or said, or what stance she has taken."
Gu Yanxi's lips curved slightly. "Holding the Seven Stars Cult Leader for so long without reporting to the Emperor—that is my crime."
Hua Zhi thought for a moment, then smiled. Given the privileges of the Seven Constellation Bureau, this might not have been considered a crime in the past. As for the rest, if Haoyue was foolish enough to reveal her identity as a prophet, Yan Xi could argue that the matter was of great importance and that he was still verifying it to avoid alarming the Emperor. If Haoyue only admitted to being the Seven Stars Cult Leader, then there was much more to discuss.
"After pleading guilty, take the opportunity to ask when the silver from the Private Treasury will be given to me. Without silver, I can do nothing."
"Alright." Seeing that A Zhi no longer showed any trace of anger, Gu Yanxi felt relieved. He didn't want A Zhi to change in any way, but if her life was at risk, he would have to remind her. It seemed someone had already done so—undoubtedly, it was Old Master Zhu.
"Yan Xi."
"Hmm?" Gu Yanxi looked up at A Zhi.
"The Emperor's trust in you is not as strong as before. The Seven Constellation Bureau, after all, belongs to the Emperor. Will it still be convenient for you to act in the future?"
Gu Yanxi fell silent for a moment. "The Seven Constellation Bureau has always followed the rule: the Emperor first, the leader second."
Hua Zhi understood. The Seven Constellation Bureau ultimately served the imperial family, obeying whoever sat on the throne. So, it still came down to Little Six ascending to power.
"I have my own people." Meeting A Zhi's surprised gaze, Gu Yanxi chuckled. "Which member of the royal family doesn't have some forces of their own? Those with powerful maternal relatives have even more. My mother's people all came under my command, and over the years, I've cultivated some as well."After a pause, Gu Yanxi continued, "Little Six is a special case. Due to General Sun's position, the Sun family won't assign him too many guards for his own safety, and the Emperor won't allow the Sun family to provide him with excessive protection either, as a precaution against him."
"We should still assign more people to protect Little Six in the future."
Gu Yanxi agreed and brought up another matter. "I've already sent people to the south to acquire tea plantations. Other matters require thorough preparation before action can be taken, but this one is unrelated to those."
Hua Zhi naturally had no intention of waiting idly, and she felt touched that Yanxi had anticipated her needs in every matter. Her expression softened as she said, "You can advance the silver first. I'll repay you once the Emperor allocates funds from the Private Treasury. I'll keep all account books perfectly clear and won't embezzle a single copper coin from him."
The two discussed this matter at length before Gu Yanxi took his leave, heading straight to the palace without delay.
The Emperor's hopeful heart cooled upon seeing Yanxi kneel respectfully and admit his fault with proper decorum, and his attitude naturally turned sour. "You've grown more temperamental than I am—who would dare punish you?"
"This humble official wouldn't dare."
"I think you dare quite boldly!" The Emperor barely restrained himself from hurling the paperweight again, glaring intently at him. "I've decided to keep Haoyue in the palace, granting her the title of Moon Consort and residence in Like Orchid Palace."
Gu Yanxi had considered many possibilities but never anticipated this direction, especially since the Emperor seldom favored consorts these days. However, given Haoyue's thirst for power, this arrangement might suit her perfectly. Gaining something always meant losing something else, and she would likely come to understand that.
More importantly, from the Emperor's attitude, he deduced that Haoyue hadn't revealed much about her so-called prophetic foresight, which in reality hadn't proven particularly useful.
"This humble official congratulates Your Majesty."
"..." The Emperor didn't even know why he was so angry, only that his fury burned intensely. "Get out of my sight!"
"Your Majesty, there is one more matter." Gu Yanxi remained kneeling, head still bowed. "A Zhi entrusted me to ask when the silver will be given to her."
The Emperor tossed his private seal toward him. "Seventy percent. I want to see results soon."
"This humble official will convey the message." Gu Yanxi picked up the seal. "I take my leave."
Watching the man retreat without hesitation, the Emperor once again swept everything off his desk in a rage. "Is he truly determined to estrange himself from me? Does that woman mean more to him than I do in his heart? Has he forgotten that everything he has today was given by me? That I saved his life! An ungrateful wretch, utterly ungrateful!"
Lai Fu nearly pressed his head to the floor, wishing he could vanish from sight so the Emperor wouldn't notice him.
As fate would have it, the Emperor stood before him and demanded, "Lai Fu, tell me—have I ever treated him unfairly?"
Lai Fu inwardly lamented his predicament but had no choice but to reply, "Your Majesty has treated the Heir as your own son, and the Heir has always served you wholeheartedly and shared your burdens."
"That was before!" The Emperor kicked Lai Fu to the ground, venting his pent-up fury with all his might. "Now he won't even look at me—his heart and eyes are filled with that woman! What a worthless fool!"
"This old servant believes the Heir must also be thinking of completing the tasks quickly to bring you joy."
The Emperor sneered. In the past, he would have believed Yanxi capable of such consideration, but now it was clear the man held no regard for him. Otherwise, he would have tried to stop him from bringing Haoyue into the palace.
So what if he had disciplined Hua Zhi? Just wait—once this matter was settled, he would have her life!He wanted to see whether his dear nephew would demand his life in return by then!
"Deliver the decree to Zhu Bowen, ordering him to cooperate with Hua Zhi. Tell him that if he fails in this matter, the Zhu Family need not remain in the capital any longer. They may go to Yinshan Pass and keep the Hua family company. Since they are so close, I shall grant them this wish!"
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